Walk Thru The Bible Matthew 1-28 Monday - Matthew 1 Genealogy of Jesus Christ Matthew 2 Birth of Jesus Matthew 3 Baptism of Jesus Matthew 4 Temptation of Jesus Tuesday - Matthew 5 Sermon on the Mount (Beattitudes) Matthew 6 Sermon on the Mount (Sp. Disciplines) Matthew 7 Sermon on the Mount (Seeking God) Matthew 8 Jesus' Healing Ministry Wednesday - Matthew 9 Call of Matthew/More Healing Matthew 10 Choosing 12 Disciples Matthew 11 Concerning John the Baptist Matthew 12 Legalists Condemns Jesus Thursday - Matthew 13 Parable of the Sower Matthew 14 Feeding 5000/Walks on Water Matthew 15 Traditions of Men Matthew 16 Peter's Confession Friday - Matthew 17 Transfiguration Matthew 18 Authority of Prayer Matthew 19 Divorce Matthew 20 Parable of Laborers Saturday - Matthew 21 Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem Matthew 22 Parable of Wedding Banquet Matthew 23 Condemns Scribes and Pharisees Matthew 24 Future Shock: Things to Come Sunday - Matthew 25 Parable of 10 Virgins Matthew 26 The Last Supper Matthew 27 Crucifixion Matthew 28 Resurrection Sunday is make-up day. If you missed any reading or if you read only a few chapters per day make up for lost time by reading for an hour on the Lord's Day. Children's Bible Reading It is not easy for a child to read through the Bible nor to sit and listen to long passages being read. We recommend that if you have children in your home that you read daily one story from Ken Taylor's "The Book." Ken Taylor is the translator of the Living Bible. He did that while commuting by train to and from work so that his children would understand the Scriptures. The children have caught up with us. Be sure to go with us to the New Testament. It is important to follow the Law with the Grace of God as revealed in Jesus. "The Law came throught Moses but grace and truth came through our Lord Jesus Christ." (John 1:17) Monday - 152. Two Boats Filled with Fish (Matthew 8) Tuesday - 153. Jesus Chooses 12 Disciples (Matthew 9) Wednesday - 154. The House Built on a Rock (Matthew 5,6,7) Thursday - 155. Jesus Brings a Dead Boy to Life (Matthew 8) Friday - 156. Stories with Heavenly Meaning (Matthew 13) Saturday - 157. The Winds and Sea Obey Him (Matthew 8) Sunday - 158. Healed By a Touch (Matthew 9,13) History: Matthew is writing the history of Jesus to the Jews. Matthew is the Gospel (Good News) that is most closely attached to the Old Testament and the law, that is why we are reading it now right after finishing Deuteronomy. Remember building your life of the principles of God's Word will bring blessing. Read again Deuteronomy 28, then read the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5-7. During the time of Jesus there was a group of religious fanatics that loved to emphasize the ceremonial law of Moses. They were called "Pharisees." They used the five books of the law, called the Torah, as an outward badge of holiness. They brandished their good works, wore specially designed robes, ate only certain kinds of foods, and tried to get everyone (even Gentiles - non-Jews) to become servants of the law. Jesus perceived that inside they were full of filthiness and hypocrisy. When you read the book of Matthew in the New Testament, pay particular attention to Jesus words and condemnation of the Pharisees "Levitical Laws." They rigidly kept the letter of the law but forgot the purpose behind it. What a wonderful time to read the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew: The gospel of Matthew, as with the other gospels, does not tell us who wrote it, yet the church fathers of the earliest centuries unanimously hail the apostle Matthew as its unquestioned author. Modern critical scholars have questioned its authorship as they have all the other gospel authors. Their reasoning is that if it was written by an eyewitness why would the author depend so heavily on Mark's gospel as a resource? The answer could be as simple as Mark's gospel being familiar to the whole church. Therefore it would be an excellent starting outline on which to build Matthew's own view of the events and teachings of Christ. Jerome, one of the early church fathers, recounts the history of Matthew's authorship as passed down to him: "Papias, a disciple of the apostle John, who lived around AD 100, says, 'Matthew wrote his oracles in Hebrew and each interpreted it into Greek as he could.' " (McBirnie p175) His use of the past tense indicated that even by his time the Hebrew manuscript was a thing of the past, so that by the turn of the century the authoritative Greek translation was firmly in place and in extensive use by the churches. Nothing of the Hebrew manuscript has survived to our day. It has been speculated that the explanation for this may be the wide use of Greek, and that the Hebrew Christian judaizers clung tenaciously to the Hebrew, which over time became so corrupted by heretical influences it was rejected by the church. It is surmised by most scholars and historians that the Greek speaking Jews, known as Hellenists, would have needed the Greek version of Matthew's gospel which in all likelihood Matthew himself provided, as some historical evidence indicates. This would explain the disappearance of the Hebrew manuscript, being unnecessary. The Greek version, accepted and used in all the churches before the time of the apostle John's death, would certainly have been protested by John had it not also carried Matthew's apostolic authority. Matthew's gospel was probably written in Palestine originally written in Hebrew or possibly Aramaic, then translated into Hebrew. No one knows for sure since none of the original Hebrew or Aramaic documents survive to our day. It appears that Matthew had a good knowledge of Mark's gospel and quotes from it extensively. (91% of Mark appears verbatim in Matthew.) It would be reasonable to assume that Matthew was the second Gospel since Matthew did not quote from Luke or John. (Some have tried to prove that Mark borrowed from Matthew but the internal and external evidence weighs heavily in favor of Mark's gospel preceding Matthew's. The Gospel of Matthew was probably written sometime around or after AD 50, certainly before AD 60. Matthew obviously wrote for Jewish people whether Hebrew or the Hellenistic Jews still in exile scattered in other parts of the world. His main purpose is to show from the Old Testament scripture, from which he quotes or translates directly, that Jesus is the Messiah in fulfillment of the prophecies. He emphasized the lineage of David, the Kingdom of Heaven, and Jesus as the Son of David. Despite his appeal to the Hebrew mind he beautifully wove into the narrative such universal aspects of the Gospel as "the field is the world," the coming of the Magi, and the full text of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. (NIV p1439) Promises of God: Matthew also gives a special focus on the commands of Jesus Christ compared to the demands of the law. In your reading notebook keep track of all the commands of Jesus on one page (front and back) and the promises of God on another page. What a contrast.